At 2.1 square kilometers, the Tiergarten (Deer Garden) is one of the largest inner-city parks in Germany; it is only surpassed by the English Garden in Munich with 3.7 km². In 1527 it was created as the elector's hunting ground. In 1742 garden planner Knobelsdorff turned the site into a baroque pleasure garden. Garden architect Lenné transformed the garden into a public park in 1818. The most famous sight in the Tiergarten is the Victory Column.

The Tiergarten is densely forested and crossed by streams and small lakes. There are no large meadows like New York's Central Park. The park is located between the Brandenburg Gate in the east and the Tiergarten S-Bahn station in the west. The Berlin Zoo is in the south, the Tiergarten borders the Reichstag and the Federal Chancellery in the north.

Straße des 17. Juni

The Berlin Zoo was founded in 1841 and is thus the oldest zoological garden in Germany. On an total area of 35 hectares you can watch more than 1,500 different animals. Therefor the "Berlin Zoo" is considered to be on of the zoo's, with the mosts species in the world. The Zoological Garden is located right in the center of West-Berlin at the Bahnhof Zoo. 

Budapester Straße 32

www.zoo-berlin.de

The "Spree" is a relatively small river. From it's spring in the Czech Republic the river flows into the River "Havel" just north of Berlin. The most beautiful part of the River is the Spreewald, a wetland north of Cottbus. In Berlin, the bank near Oberbaumbrücke is the most beautiful part.

A national monument for the liberation wars against Napoleon, was erected on the 66 m high hilltop in 1821. The monument designed by Karl Friedrich Schinkel, looks like a gothic tower tip. The "Viktoriapark" with waterfall and Wolfsschlucht was built in 1894. The cross on the top of the monument led to the name "Kreuzberg" (crosshill).

Kreuzbergstraße

The "Berlin Wall" (Berliner Mauer) stood here between 1961-1989. Before World War 2 there was a train station (Nordbahnhof) and a parade ground at this place. The "Berlin Wall" is no longer preserved, but the smaller "hinterland wall" is still there. It is now used as an exercise surface for graffiti artists. The "Mauerpark" was designed by the landscape designer Gustav Lange from Hamburg. 

Bernauer Straße

The "Volkspark Friedrichshain" was created in honor of the Prussian king Friedrich II. There is a monument of the king, a fairy tale fountain and an opanair stage in the park that was opened in 1848. The park in highly frequented by hipsters of the the nearby district of "Friedrichshain". 

Am Friedrichshain

Since the closure of the former Tempelhof airport in 2008, the vast area is used as a park. But there are already plans to use the land for building. But it is more likely that it will be turned into a large park. There is already a beergarden on the grounds.

Flughafen Tempelhof

www.thf-berlin.de

The Botanical Garden of Berlin is the largest in Germany, with more than 20,000 plants. The garden, opened in 1904, offers a beautiful landscape park with lakes, greenhouses, and arboretum. 

Königin-Luise-Straße 6-8

www.bgbm.org

The "Gardens of the World" in the Berlin district of Marzahn show many different gardens from different cultures and continents. The "Garden of the Reclaimed Moon" was created in 2000, according to the plans of the Institute of Classical Garden Art of Beijing. The garden is one of Europe's largest Chinese gardens. There is an Oriental Garden, a Korean Garden, a Japanese Zen Garden and many other gardens and attractions to discover.

Eisenacherstraße 99

www.gruen-berlin.de/gaerten-der-welt

The "Grunewaldturm" was erected in 1899 as Memorial Tower for King Wilhelm by the architect Franz Schwechten. Schwechten also built the "Kaiser-Wilhelm Memorial Church" at Breitscheidplatz. The tower in the style of the Brandenburg brick Gothic is 55 m high and offers a beautiful panorama over the Grunewald forrest and the Havel river.  

Havelchaussee 61

The Grunewald forrest is bordered in the west by the river "Havel". The Havel flows through numerous lakes and is used for sailing and bathing. Ferries and excursion steamers run on the wide river. Particularly beautiful are the shores along the Grunewald, here you can find cozy bays and small islands. 

Havel, Grunewald

The "Strandbad Wannsee" is legendary and many german songs tell stories about this famous beach of Berlin. The "Wannsee" is a lake with wide sandy beaches and the "Strandbad" is reminiscent of seaside resorts on the Baltic Sea. It is like vacation in Berlin, just take the S-Bahn to "Nikolassee" (The S-Bahn station Wannsee is further away) and walk through the forest to the "Strandbad Wannsee". "Strand" means beach and "Bad" is bath.

Wannseebadweg 25

www.berlinerbaeder.de

The "Wannsee" is a bay in the river Havel and belongs to the Berlin district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf. There is a large and a small "Wannsee". The beach is located on the big "Wannsee". On the street "Am Großen Wannsee", the houses of Max Liebermann (painter) and the house of the "Wannsee Conference" are located. 

Wannsee

The "Pfaueninsel" (peakock island) was turned into a romantic park by Friedrich Wilhelm II in 1794. A small, white castle was built, which can be seen from the opposite river bank. There are some other buildings on the small island, such as the "Cavaliershaus" and the "Meierei". The "Pfaueninsel" is famous for its scenic beauty and great nature. Of course, there are peacocks on the island. To get on the island, take the ferry at the end of the "Pfaueninselchaussee". 

Pfaueninsel